Revenge of the Sight
by chilled monkey
Summary: Chage and Aska thought that they had put an end to the malevolent cult that once threatened their city. Unknown to them a survivor of the cult is poised to unleash a terrible vengeance.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the song "On Your Mark" or the music video made by Hayao Miyazaki. This story is a work of fan fiction. No profit is being made from it.

 **Author's Note:** This story was inspired not only by the "On Your Mark" music video itself, but also by the excellent fanfic of the same title written by moviefan-92 (and if you haven't read it then I highly recommend doing so).

Several concepts used in this story, most notably the angel girl being named "Hope," the cult being called "The Sight" and what happened to Aska and Chage afterwards are borrowed from that fanfic and used here with the author's knowledge and approval. Thanks again to moviefan-92 for letting me borrow some of their ideas.

I also want to warn readers that there is some violence/death and horror elements in this story. Not much but it is there. I hope people will not be put off and will still enjoy it despite that.

Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

Hidden deep within the recesses of a long abandoned factory building a man studied the computer screen before him intently. On the screen was a string of complex biochemical formulas.

The man's name was Osta Basalok. He looked completely normal, in his mid-thirties with short black hair and pale blue eyes. However he was far from what most would consider an average man.

He had once been a member of The Sight, a fanatical cult that had committed numerous acts of terrorism and ritual murder before the police had finally brought them down. As far as he knew he was the only member to have gotten away from the raid the police had mounted on their headquarters. He knew that his brethren would have condemned him as a coward and traitor but he knew better. What was the point in fighting a lost battle? He would serve The Sight far better by not throwing away his life.

Osta had sworn revenge upon not only the police but the city as well. Now the hour of his revenge was close.

"Personal log entry 57; have finally developed an airborne strain" he said into a recorder. "While infectious for only a few moments in the open air before becoming inert this will be sufficient to begin initial infection. All that remains is to determine if the mutagenic effect of the airborne strain is equal in both potency and speed to that of the contact-spread type. I shall now commence the initial test upon a human subject."

He stood up and walked through the empty corridors until he came to a room where he donned a protective hazmat suit. Once the suit was on and he had checked that it was secure he proceeded to another room.

Inside another man lay on top of a gurney. He was bare-chested and locked firmly in place by thick leather straps. A cloth gag had been tied around his mouth, stifling his cries. He strained uselessly against his bonds but it did no good. His eyes were wide with fear and beads of sweat rolled down his face.

Behind his suit's mask Osta grinned wickedly. He felt no sympathy for the man. The Sight's leader, Nova, had taught that anyone outside the cult was an infidel and as such unworthy of life. Whatever he did to them was fully deserved. Especially with this specimen, a homeless derelict he had abducted some time ago. None would miss him.

Osta held up a pressurised spray device and pointed it at him. At the sight of it the prisoner's struggles intensified but the straps held. He sobbed and shook his head from side to side frantically, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Unmoved, Osta pressed down and a white substance sprayed from the nozzle with a sharp hissing sound. He stepped back and watched intently.

The man uttered a muffled scream as he thrashed even harder. His pale skin took on a sickly yellowish hue as brown lesions broke out all over his body and his eyes turned a deep red. His screams ceased and were replaced by a deep animalistic growl.

Seeing that the straps were finally beginning to give Osta hurriedly but calmly took out a pistol from a concealed compartment and shot the mutated man twice in the chest. His struggles finally ended and he lay still.

"It works perfectly" Osta said, his voice filled with twisted glee. "Now this city will suffer for opposing The Sight!"

* * *

 **Two days later.**

"Well that was a waste of time" Aska sighed as he and his partner Chage, also his best friend, left the small apartment and strolled down the corridor.

The two police officers had been sent to investigate a report of gunfire in one of the city's numerous apartment blocks. It had turned out that the "gunfire" had just been a few boys setting off firecrackers. Aska had not been pleased and had given the boys a stern reprimand about wasting police officers time.

Chage chuckled. "Lighten up Aska. They're just kids. Let's be glad no-one was hurt."

"I am" he replied. "It just bothers me that the time we wasted being dragged out here on a false alarm could have been spent on solving an actual case. We were in prison for four years before we got our jobs back. That's a lot of police work to catch up on."

Chage's usual humorous expression faded. "You don't regret what we did do you?" he asked, his tone uncharacteristically serious.

Aska shook his head. "Not for an instant. Saving Hope was the best thing I ever did and if I had to I'd do it all over again."

Chage's grin returned. "Me too."

Aska smiled wistfully as he thought back to the day that had changed their lives.

During the raid in which they had taken down The Sight he and Chage had liberated a beautiful young girl with feathery white wings. However she had then been taken away for experimentation by unscrupulous scientists. Determined to free her, the two of them had infiltrated the facility and broken her out. They had then driven out of the city and into the contaminated zones where nobody would be able to go after her. Just before she had flown away and disappeared into the sky she had told them that her name was Hope.

"I wonder where she is now" he mused.

"Well wherever it is she's safe and free. That's what really matters" Chage said reassuringly.

"I know." His expression brightened as he thought of Hope's smiling face as she flew away into the sky. He thought about her a lot and while he did wish he could see her again he knew it could never happen. But as Chage had said, she was safe and free. That was more than enough for him.

"Come on, let's get back to the station. We'll finish our shift and then hit the bars."

"Now you're talking" his friend said with a laugh.

Neither of them knew that even as they spoke a timer hidden in the building's ventilation system had reached zero on a pre-set countdown. A red light came on as the device linked to the timer activated. Air hissed from the device as a white mist began to seep through the ventilation ducts.


	2. Chapter 2

Outside the city, a safe distance from the radiation-contaminated land, was a vast expanse of rolling green fields. The air was fresh and clean, without even a hint of pollution. Rabbits and deer were grazing peacefully.

Had any humans been present they would have noticed a falcon flying high overhead. What would have astonished them more though was the falcon's companion, a girl in a plain white dress with beautiful white wings. As if that alone wasn't enough, both the bird and the girl were engaged in a truly spectacular display of aerial manoeuvres.

Hope laughed happily as she twisted and turned, easily keeping pace with the winged predator in their game of sky tag. It swooped down at her but she dodged it with a quick sideways roll. It pulled up and turned, giving chase as she sped off.

After a few moments of this they stopped chasing each other and simply hovered in mid-air. These games couldn't last too long due to the falcon's need to conserve energy for hunting prey.

"Thank you, that was fun" said Hope.

The falcon cawed and flew away. She watched it go with a smile before heading off for home.

A little while later she fluttered down and landed on a grassy plain at the top of a high mountain peak. She had chosen this place to live because of its remoteness. Not only was it far from any human city it was also hard to access unless one could fly. She knew all too well how important it was for her to hide from humanity.

 _Of course not all humans are evil_ she thought. _Aska and Chage are proof of that._

Her smile broadened as she thought about the heroic police officers that had saved her. No doubt they were still helping people and defending the innocent.

Delighted by that thought she lay down on the ground, her wings folding up to shield her from the sun's rays, and closed her eyes to take a nap. In just a few moments she was asleep.

* * *

 _Fear… Madness… Death… A city of horrors… Millions dead or dying…_

Hope awoke from the dream with a start. She sat up and looked around, calming down as she realised she was safe. The sun was still shining in a bright blue sky and a breeze was rustling the grass. The familiar, tranquil sight soothed her nerves

But even though the initial panic was gone it left behind a deep sense of dread and a dark feeling of foreboding. She knew that had been no ordinary dream. It was a premonition of what was to come.

 _Aska and Chage are in terrible danger_ she thought. _And so are countless innocent lives. Some monstrous evil threatens their city_

She knew what had to be done. Aska and Chage had risked their lives for her, she would do no less for them.

Standing up she took a deep, centring breath. Then, with an expression of firm resolve, she walked up to the edge and jumped off. Her wings spread, catching the air, and she flew across the sky at full speed, heading for the domed city.

* * *

Aska and Chage had just come to an elevator and were about to open it when a faint sound reached their ears.

"Did you hear that?" said Aska.

"Yeah" Chage replied. "It sounds like a lot of people running."

Just then a door burst open at the end of a corridor. A wild-eyed man rushed through and slammed it behind him. He was panting and breathing hard, his eyes filled with overwhelming fear.

"HELP!" He screamed as he pushed against the door. "Barricade the door! They're everywhere!"

Aska and Chage ran towards him. "Hold on we'll help you" Aska called.

The door was flung open again, sending the man to the floor as if he was weightless. The police officers skidded to a halt in shock as _something_ came pouring through.

Years of training to survive dangerous situations allowed both of them to regain their wits and process what they were seeing. Coming through the door was a horde of mutated, diseased-looking, red-eyed men and women, all of whom were growling and snarling, their faces twisted with rage.

The man who had come through first was seized and dragged to his feet. They watched in horror as the same yellowish discolouration spread over his skin like a wave, brown lesions forming instantly. Within seconds the awful transformation was complete and he too was glaring at them with pure fury.

"Run!" Chage yelled.

They raced down the corridors as the mutants came charging after them.

 _What if people come to check out the commotion?_ Aska thought in dismay. "Lock your doors!" he yelled as he ran. "Stay inside and lock your doors!"

Even as he said this he could hear frightened screams and more bestial growls coming from up ahead. That could only mean there was another pack of the creatures in front of them.

 _How bad is this? Is the entire building infested?_

Chage drew his pistol. Aska stared at him in disbelief.

"We can't shoot them! They're still innocent people."

"I know. Warning shots only, let's try and slow them down."

With a quick nod Aska pulled his own weapon. They stopped running, turned and fired, taking care to aim at the walls and floors.

BLAM! BLAM! In the confines of the corridor the gunshots were deafening.

Thankfully they seemed to work. The creatures in the lead halted abruptly, causing those behind them to slam right into them and sending them all down in a tangled mess of limbs.

Aska and Chage used the distraction to resume running. Aska took out his radio and thumbed it on.

"This is Officer Aska requesting immediate back-up. Headquarters, do you read me?"

There was no reply, only static. He clenched his teeth as they continued to flee, the creatures already resuming their pursuit.


	3. Chapter 3

At the police station communications were being swamped with officer requests for back-up and calls coming in from all over the city reporting people being attacked by "monsters."

In his office the chief was trying to make sense of what was going on. He was getting very worried. They had lost contact with numerous officers and even decontamination teams that had been dispatched to some of the areas. Before losing contact said officers, some of whom were seasoned veterans, had all sounded utterly terrified. He had heard multiple references to "those things," "creatures" and such. They still didn't have any solid information on what was going on but by the sound of things it would soon engulf the whole city.

One of his men came rushing into the room without even bothering to knock. His face was drawn and pale as he said "chief, you've got to see this."

Concerned the chief immediately rose and followed him out into the main hall. On a nearby TV screen was an image of a man with short black hair and pale blue eyes.

"…Broadcasting this on all channels. My name is Osta Basalok. I have a message for the police of this wretched city. By now you must be wondering what exactly is going on. I will enlighten you. A short time ago a number of devices planted in various locations around this city activated, releasing a bio-engineered spore into the area. The spores quickly became inert in the air but before doing so they infected at least a few civilians. Here is a demonstration of the spores effect on humans."

The image changed to that of a man lying strapped to a gurney. The chief and other officers watched in horror as the man was sprayed with white mist and rapidly mutated.

The image changed back to the speaker. "Once infected the subjects are essentially mindless, driven only by a need to pass on the contagion to others. Furthermore a single touch is all it takes, transforming a normal human into a plague-spreading beast within a matter of seconds. The infected hosts have a lifespan of approximately twenty four hours."

"So now you have a choice. You can either wait until you also succumb to the plague or evacuate the city to die from radiation poisoning. Or simply take your own lives. It makes no difference to me. This is your penance for destroying The Sight."

With that the screen went dark.

* * *

Unaware of the broadcast their fellow officers had just seen Aska and Chage continued their desperate rush to avoid the ever-growing horde of infected men and women. With no other way out they had been forced to keep going upwards while yelling warnings as loud as they could to anyone in earshot.

"Good thing we stayed in shape while inside huh?" Aska said as they ran up another stairway, their booted feet pounding on the steps.

"Yeah" Chage agreed. "I hate to point this out but we're fast running out of places to run to."

Aska replied "we'll head for the roof."

"And then?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Fortunately the rooftop door was always unlocked in case of fire. Unfortunately that also meant there was no way to seal it behind them.

Side by side on the rooftop they continued to fire their guns in an attempt to keep the infected people at bay back. Within just a few moments they ran out of bullets, their guns producing nothing but futile clicks.

Aska and Chage glanced at each other and nodded. They both knew there was only one thing they could do now. If they couldn't stop this threat to their city and its people then at least they could make sure they would not become part of it.

"See you around buddy. It's been a good ride" said Chage. Despite the circumstances he was smiling.

"Yeah. I wouldn't change a thing" Aska agreed. He too was smiling.

"Me neither."

As the mutants rushed them they leapt off the edge of the roof.

* * *

 _I'm too late_ Hope thought as she flew between the towering walls of concrete, glass and metal that made up the city. She had arrived moments ago, coming back through the same tunnel Aska and Chage had driven her through all those years ago, only to be greeted by an awful sight.

Something terrible had happened here. Everywhere she looked she saw hordes of oddly deformed people rampaging through the streets. Her heart ached at the sight and she longed to seek out survivors to help but she could not afford to stop. She had to find her friends.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

Her wings were tiring but she ignored that, flapping them even harder as she drove herself onwards ever faster.

There! On the roof of a rapidly approaching building were the two officers. Her relieved smile instantly became a look of horror as she saw that they were facing a mob of the corrupted people she had seen on the way here. As she watched both officers backed up to the edge of the roof and then jumped off!

"NO!" Hope cried.


	4. Chapter 4

"NO!" Hope cried.

Without hesitation she folded her wings back and dived after them like an arrow fired from a bow.

Aska wasn't afraid as he fell, his jacket flapping wildly in the wind. Not for himself at least. He had accepted long ago that dying in the line of duty was a possibility. His only fear was for the city and its people. Whatever this thing was he could only pray that the rest of the police, his brothers and sisters in arms, could find a solution.

Wanting his last thoughts to be good ones he willed himself not to think about that. Instead he tried to think about the day he and Chage had freed Hope. Of all the things he had done that was the best. The memory of her soaring away into the sky comforted him.

Just then he felt a hand close around the back of his collar and a sudden jolt of inertia as somehow, impossibly, his fall abruptly decelerated.

 _What the?… Can it be?…_

He turned his head slightly and his jaw dropped in astonishment.

Hope had observed how her falcon friend caught prey by climbing to a great height and then diving down at it in a stoop. While the loss of life saddened her (not that she held it against the falcon, it was only acting as nature intended), she was amazed by the speed and precision it was capable of. Now she sought to use the same technique, not to take lives but to save them.

With her wind resistance decreased she easily caught up to them. Wind howled in her ears, her hair and dress billowing as she reached out with both hands and caught hold of their collars.

Now came the difficult part. She had to open her wings just enough to slow their descent but not halt it. Stopping it completely would have broken their necks.

Hope carefully brought her wings partially up, creating a slight drag. She also felt the inertial jolt as their fall was slowed but not stopped. In that precious instant before their fall could speed up again she extended her wings fully to create additional drag. She couldn't carry both Aska and Chage but she didn't need to, merely ride the air currents while redirecting their momentum.

She did exactly that. Their speed was further reduced as she pulled up in a steady arc that turned their fall into a horizontal glide that carried the three of them out over the rooftop of a smaller building.

Chage and Aska managed to hit the gravel surface rolling, bringing their momentum further down and finally coming to a halt. Hope touched down on her feet in front of them.

The two officers got to their feet, shaken but unharmed. For a moment they just stared at her.

Finally Aska said, "Hope? Is, is it you?" Neither he or Chage had changed much in the four years that had passed since they had last seen her, but Hope looked exactly the same, as if she hadn't aged a day.

"If this is a dream then I don't want to wake up" said Chage with a delighted grin.

She smiled. "It's not a dream. I'm here" she said in the sweet, beautiful voice they had first heard on that day all those years ago.

Smiling happily, both officers hugged her. She returned the hug.

"Thanks for saving us" said Aska. "It's so good to see you again."

"Yeah" Chage agreed.

"It was the least I could do after everything you did for me" she replied.

"How did you know to come here?" Aska queried.

"I had a vision, a premonition of something terrible happening to this city. It showed me that you were in danger" she explained.

"But how did you find us?" Chage asked. "It's a big city."

"My parents guided me to you" she replied.

"Your parents?" Aska repeated in puzzlement.

"You mean like… uh…" Chage said unsurely. He cast a quick glance upwards.

"Yes."

"Whoa" he said in amazement.

As happy as he was at the reunion Aska knew they couldn't spend anymore time talking. "Hope, do you know what's going on here?"

She shook her head. "No. On my way here I saw many people with the same sickness as those who were chasing you but I have no idea where it came from."

"We have to contact headquarters" said Aska. "First we should get to the hover car. Once we're inside and in the air they won't be able to get to us."

"Let's go then" said Chage confidently.

* * *

Fortunately the building they had landed on was considerably older and smaller than most, with a number of balconies they were able to climb down. There was even a fire escape they were able to use to reach the street.

Hiding in an alleyway Aska cautiously looked around a corner. The hover-car he and Chage had arrived in was on the other side of the street. He couldn't see any of the infected people.

"The coast is clear" he whispered. Chage and Hope nodded.

They rushed over to the hover-car and scrambled inside. Just as they entered, the front door of the building they had fled suddenly burst open and a mob of mutants came pouring through.

"Chage, get us in the air!" Aska yelled as the mob charged them.

Chage leapt into the pilot's seat and fired up the thrusters. The hover-car lifted into the air just as the mutants reached them. A few jumped at them, scrabbling at the air futilely, but they fell far short. Chage manoeuvred the vehicle to a secure position, making sure nobody could jump onto it from above and then set the thrusters to stationary hover.

"Nice work Chage" said Aska as he slid into the adjacent seat. "Now let's contact the chief and see if we can get some idea what's going on here."

He looked over his shoulder at Hope. "You'd best stay out of sight. The chief's a good man but right now the fewer people that know you're here the better."

"I understand" she replied, withdrawing to the back of the vehicle.

Chage tapped a few keys on the control panel and the chief's face appeared on the communications screen. He exhaled in relief when he saw them.

"Thank God you boys are all right."

"Chief, something's going on…" Aska started to say.

"I know" the chief cut him off. "Let me show you something that'll answer your questions."

He piped through the broadcast he'd seen a few minutes ago. Chage and Aska watched in fury.

"That sick freak" Aska snarled, his fist clenched.

The chief's face reappeared on-screen. "We were able to trace his transmission to an abandoned factory."

His face was again replaced, this time by an electronic map of the city with a blinking red dot showing the location of the factory.

"Since you boys are closest I want you to go there immediately. Find this guy and see if he has a cure for the spores."

He did not need to say that there was no guarantee their quarry would still be there when they arrived. It was the only lead they had to go on.

"I'm going to gather every remaining officer and try to contain this insanity before it consumes the whole city. Contact me when you find anything."

"Yes sir" said Aska.

"And hurry. Times running out."

With that the chief ended the transmission.


	5. Chapter 5

The factory was located in an industrial area that had long ago fallen into disuse. It was no wonder it was abandoned. Nearly all of the buildings in the area were.

For that reason the streets were thankfully empty of infected. That was a relief to the three of them when they arrived. During the trip there they had observed how bad the situation was becoming, with swarms of mutants rampaging across the streets and the bridges that connected different sections of the city. They appeared to be converging on the city centre.

The sight had made Aska's heart sink. Even if they did find a cure how would they possibly be able to produce enough of it to restore all of those people?

 _If that scum is even still there._

He tried to push the thought from his mind. They couldn't fail this. They couldn't! But his fears remained.

Hope seemed to sense his feelings. She put a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "have faith Aska. We'll find a way, just like you and Chage did when you saved me."

"Thanks" he replied, feelings the weight on his spirit ease.

They touched down in front of the factory. Aska and Chage got out and paused briefly to check their guns, having reloaded during the flight there.

Aska looked back at Hope. "You should wait here, it could be dangerous" he said.

She shook her head. "I'm coming with you" she said firmly.

"All right but stay close to us."

* * *

They entered the building through a boarded-up window. Chage took point, with Hope in the middle and Aska at the back as they warily crept through the barren, empty corridors.

Fortunately the Chief had sent them the factory blueprints along with the co-ordinates. It did not take long for them to locate the main control room of the factory.

Chage opened the door slightly and peered inside. He suppressed an urge to cheer as he saw there was a man sitting at a computer console.

"We got him" he whispered with a delighted grin.

He kicked open the door and burst in with Aska right beside him.

"Freeze!"

Osta whirled around in his chair to see the two officers aiming their guns at him. He was startled but regained his composure quickly.

"Ah yes I thought they'd send someone after me" he said smugly.

"Get up! Hands on your head!" Aska demanded.

He obeyed. As he did so however his smug look became one of amazement as he looked past the officers to see Hope. She was standing in the corridor looking in through the doorway.

"So the rumours were true" said Osta, his tone one of awe. "The Lord gave Nova an angel to serve him."

"You are mistaken" she said. "My father did not give me to anyone. Your leader imprisoned me when I told him what he was doing was wrong."

He shrugged. "It matters little now. Within less than a day everyone in this city will be dead and the Sight will be avenged."

"That's not going to happen!" Aska exclaimed. "Tell us how to cure the disease and we'll commute your sentence."

He laughed mockingly. "Cure? There is no cure. There is no hope. Go ahead and kill me. It will make no difference."

As he spoke Hope felt an odd sense of disorientation. For a second she was no longer in the derelict factory with her two friends. Instead she was once more flying above the earth. Below her was something she recognised at once…

The vision ended and she was back in the factory. Chage and Aska wore expressions of horrified dismay while Osta was grinning fiendishly.

"You are wrong" she said with quiet, firm resolve. "There is _always_ hope. And there _is_ a cure."

The two officers turned to glance at her, looks of relief on their faces. In that moment of distraction the former cultist made his move. He opened a concealed compartment in the console and snatched up a pistol.

But before he could get off even a single shot Chage and Aska opened fire.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Osta collapsed against the console, four bullet wounds clustered over his heart. He drew in a final breath with a surprised expression on his face before his pupils dilated and his head lolled back. His eyes stared upwards, unblinking.

Aska looked down at the body regretfully. Despite everything the man had done he took no pleasure in his death. He glanced at Chage who nodded understandingly.

Hope clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. "May your soul rest in peace" she said softly.

When she opened her eyes Aska said, "you said there's a cure?"

"Yes, I had a vision of it."

"Like the vision of us in trouble?" Chage asked.

"That's right."

Just then Aska's radio sounded the emergency call. Concerned he immediately opened the channel.

"All units please respond! We're being overwhelmed, we need backup, we…"

He was cut off by more screams and growls. A second later and the line went dead.

Aska was grim-faced as he said, "Chage, we have to help them."

"I know" he replied.

Hope clearly wanted to object but did not. She knew they could never ignore a cry for help. Instead she said, "go to your friends and hold these poor sick people back. I can bring the medicine to you."

"Will you be okay?" Chage asked. "You'd have to fly there and back, with cargo."

"I'll be fine. It's not too far" she replied.

"Then let's hurry" said Aska.

* * *

When Chage and Aska traced the call they were alarmed to find it had come from near the city centre. As they sped to the location they saw how truly dire the situation had become.

Large sections of the city were completely empty, abandoned by the infected citizens in search of new victims. As the neared the city centre however the streets were packed with the snarling, growling creatures that its people had become. The police had done everything possible to slow their advance, constructing barriers out of whatever they could find but ultimately it was not enough.

Finally they touched down to find the police had formed a perimeter. They landed and hastily found the chief.

He looked exhausted, almost as if he'd aged years since they'd last seen him. As he saw them he tried to smile but it couldn't seem to fully form.

"Please tell me you boys found something."

"Sir, we were forced to kill Basalok in self-defence" said Aska. "But there is a cure and it'll be here shortly. We just have to hold them off a little longer."

The chief shook his head. "Those damned spores spread like wildfire. We tried to contain it but it was useless. We had to fall back again and again. Now it's too late. There's no way there's enough for all these people and no time to manufacture enough. We've lost."

"Chief no!" Aska exclaimed. "We can still save the city! We just have to hold on!"

"Yeah!" Chage agreed. "We, uh, well we can't really explain it but you've got to trust us!"

Seeing their determination the chief managed a smile. It was small and wan, but genuine. "I've always trusted you two. If you say we can win then that's good enough for me."

He drew himself up to his full height. "Come on, these people need us!"

"All right!" Chage exclaimed as he punched the air.

* * *

Hope was relieved to be out of the city and once again flying up in the sky where she belonged. Even under the best circumstances the city felt too closed and oppressive for her. She could appreciate the irony though that in this case she was desperate to return to it as quickly as possible.

Then she saw it. Relieved, she swooped down and landed in the middle of a field filled with beautiful blue flowers. They seemed to dance in the breeze and their sweet, fragrant scent filled the air. Insects flitted from one flower to another, distributing pollen.

She had discovered the field soon after Chage and Aska had freed her. It was located midway between the contaminated land surrounding the city and the mountain where she now lived. Right from the start it had become one of her favourite spots to visit. Even now the flowers beauty brought her a sense of joy despite the gravity of the situation. More importantly though, she knew from her vision that the flowers were the key to healing the sick people.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you but I must" she said as she unfurled the blanket she'd brought with her. "Innocent lives are in danger and this is the only way to save them."

Hope hurriedly gathered up as many of the flowers as she could and placed them in the blanket which she then wrapped up securely. Fortunately it wasn't too heavy.

Unfortunately she now had to take off from the ground; something far more difficult than taking off from an elevated position. Not only that but she was getting tired. Flying back and forth at top speed across such a distance was exhausting, and as Chage had pointed out this time she had to do so while carrying extra weight. Nonetheless she beat her wings and gradually rose into the air until she was able to catch some thermal updrafts.

Firmly holding on to her precious bundle she set course for the city.

"Hold on" she whispered. "Please hold on just a little longer."

* * *

The chief had never been so proud of the men and women under his command. They had fought bravely against impossible odds, using every means at their disposal to block or at least slow down the advancing mutant horde. Water cannons, knockout gas grenades, makeshift barriers, anything they could use.

Ultimately though it wasn't enough. There were simply too many infected. All too often one of them would get close enough to infect and turn an officer, resulting in a perimeter breach which in turn forced them to fall even further back. They were rapidly running out of places to retreat to and it would not be long before they were fully overrun. Despite that they refused to give up.

He glanced at Aska and Chage. In their usual style they had come up with a way to improve the effectiveness of their limited resources. Aska would fire a gas grenade and once it hit its apex and started to fall, Chage would fire his pistol, hitting the grenade in mid-air and sending it tumbling further through the air. This meant that when it came down the resulting gas cloud engulfed more infected.

 _Those guys_ the chief thought. _Best cops I've ever had under my command. If this is how it ends then I'm glad to go down fighting alongside them._

"This is the last grenade" said Aska.

"Let's make it count then" Chage replied.

He was raising his pistol to fire when he saw something. An overjoyed and relieved grin spread over his face and he lowered the weapon. Aska immediately looked up as well and the same expression appeared on his face.

The chief thought, _What have they seen?_

He tilted his head to see what they had. His jaw dropped in astonishment as he saw something he'd never expected to see again hovering in the sky above the seething mob.

 _That's the winged girl Chage and Aska saved four years ago! What's she doing back here?_

He watched as she held up some kind of bundle and tipped it forwards. From the bundle fell a stream of blue flowers.

As the flowers fell they spread out, carried by air currents. Blue petals broke off and fluttered on the breeze, ever downwards until finally they touched down on the infected people.

The change was instantaneous. The brutal growls and snarls fell silent, lesions melting away as their skin and eye colours returned to normal. The merest contact with one of the petals, no matter how slight, was enough to cure the mutation.

Flapping her wings the angel flew around in an ever widening circle. As she flew she let more flowers fall. They too were carried down by the wind to the mutants who also were immediately cured by the flowers touch, leaving them looking around in a daze.

Almost the entire city's population had been infected. It shouldn't have been possible that the bundle held enough flowers for them all, yet somehow the bundle never seemed to run out. Only when all trace of the spore plague was gone did the rain of flowers cease.

"YES!" Chage exclaimed as he punched the air triumphantly. "Way to go Hope!"

"She did it!" Aska agreed.

She looked down and smiled at them fondly. For a brief moment time seemed to stand still as the gathered police officers all looked up in awe and wonder while Aska and Chage continued to cheer.

Then their cheers stopped instantly and their comrades awe became dismay as a sudden tremor went through Hope. Her eyes closed and she dropped from the sky like a stone.

Aska and Chage dashed over just in time to catch her before she slammed into the ground. They looked down at her, worry and concern etched onto their faces as the chief and some other officers ran up.

"Is she okay?" the chief asked anxiously.

Aska gently felt for a pulse. He exhaled in relief as he found one.

"She's okay. I think she just passed out from exhaustion."

"Yeah" Chage agreed, his own relief evident. "No wonder. She had to fly to wherever those flowers were and back while carrying them."

Gently holding her, they both stood and turned to their boss.

"Chief we…"

He held up a hand. "Don't say anything." A knowing smile appeared on his face as he went on, "right now the decontaminators are in no shape to be hunting down anyone. I'd say it'll be a while before word even reaches them about an angel in the city. And until that time we haven't been instructed to bring in anyone."

Chage grinned as he realised what was being said. "Thanks chief."

* * *

Hope groaned softly as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Aska's worried face looking down at her.

"Aska" she said. She tried to sit up but her head immediately swam and she fell back down.

"Easy" he said gently. "It's okay, you're safe. We're in the hover-car on our way out of the city."

Indeed they were. Hope realised that she was lying on a bench with a blanket draped over her. More carefully this time she sat up.

"Did it work? Are your people all right?"

"Everyone's fine, the city is safe" he reassured her. "Thank you so much."

"I was glad to help" she said as she stood up, fully rested and recovered.

Chage walked up, having set the hover-car on auto-pilot. "You okay?"

"I'm fine" she replied. "Where are we now?"

"On our way out of the city through the very same tunnel we used before."

Just then the hover-car was flooded with brilliant sunlight as they exited the tunnel.

"Ah here we are, just entering the Danger Zone. Brings back memories huh?"

"Will you be able to fly from here? You gave us quite a scare when you fell like that" said Aska.

"It's okay. I'm fine now." Her expression became concerned. "This is the second time you've helped me leave the city. You won't get into trouble will you?"

Aska smiled. "Not at all. By the time the decontaminators are in any position to give the order to look for you it'll be too late. We haven't disobeyed any orders so we won't be in any trouble at all"

"Besides even if we did it'd be worth it" Chage said with a grin.

"I know" she replied gratefully. "It was so good to see you both again."

"Same to you" said Aska fondly.

For old times sake Chage gently took Hope's hand and kissed it. She smiled at both of them. "I will see you again"

"We'll look forwards to it. For now goodbye" said Aska.

"Goodbye."

The side door opened and she jumped out. Her wings unfurled, catching the wind and she rose into the sky. Aska and Chage watched her until she finally disappeared from sight.

"Well let's get back. There's going to be a lot of mopping up to do" said Aska.

"Nothing we can't handle" Chage replied. "Especially after seeing Hope again."

"I know what you mean. You remember what I said about how she was well-named because she gave me hope that the human race can still make it?"

He was fully expecting his friend to make some friendly joke at his expense but instead he just said, "yeah me too."

"I thought you couldn't ever be serious?"

"I'll make an exception just this once" Chage said with his familiar grin. "Don't get used to it."

"I won't."

With that they turned their vehicle around and headed back to the city.

* * *

As Hope flew back to her mountaintop home she was also thinking of her friends. It had been good to see them again and to again be reminded of the nobility and courage humanity was capable of.

 _I meant what I said. I will see you both again_ she thought. _Not for many years but it will happen. And I will look forwards to it._

Buoyed by the thought she flew on.


End file.
